Small business bloggers must capture their reader's attention if they want to market their blogs with any lasting effect. If your blog's content doesn't attract a reader's attention, there's no way you can hope to compete with other businesses competing for exposure. I would recommend that you take an honest look at work on your business's blog.

Today's post is from guest author Kimberly Wilson. Kimberly is from accredited online colleges, she writes on topics including career, education, student life, college life, home improvement, time management etc.

Small business bloggers must capture their reader's attention if they want to market their blogs with any lasting effect. If your small business blog's content doesn't attract a reader's attention, there's no way you can hope to compete with other businesses competing for exposure. It should be motivation enough that your business must compete against countless competitors for your customer's attention. There's always another insurance blog or another small business consulting website if yours doesn't look glamorous enough.

If your small business is struggling to establish itself online, I would recommend that you take an honest look at work on your business's blog. Warning signs of a suffering or stagnating blog include the following: low readership on the blog (few unique "hits" on the blog), few to zero comments on blog posts, or returns on advertisements put up alongside the blog, if any. If your blog languishes in neglect from potential customers, you have to do something about it if you expect any kind of online success for your business. Now, I'm not suggesting that you post ridiculous material simply to draw a wider readership. But there are ways to make your posts look fresher, more interesting, and overall more engaging with potential readers and customers without compromising the ethics of your business.

Keep it Fresh

Keeping your content up-to-date is pivotal to remaining relevant in your customer's sphere of interest. You can't expect to build a reliable customer base if you post once every two weeks about issues covered months ago. You can stay on top of things by frequently visiting news sites that feature stories related to your business. You can subscribe to any number of news hubs (CNN, FOX, Huffington Post) for notifications and instant updates on breaking news. If you're not sure about the latest trends, there's nothing wrong with checking out the competition for insight into the hot topics in the blogosphere. Even if a topic has been picked over by everyone else, you can put your own perspective on it to make it feel fresh to your readers. You won't have to worry about recycling current news as you write your content from a new or innovative angle, regardless of your business's specialty. If you continually blog about current events then readers will rely on you for their industry news.

Outstanding Post Titles

It sounds like a trite detail, but it makes all the difference in blogging. It's critical that you give your blog posts titles that would interest potential customers. For instance, if your small business is about management consulting, make blog titles that assert your business's expertise. Use snappy, emphatic phrasing like "How to Deal with Terrible Bosses" for posts aimed at HR managers and staff looking for management advice. If you're running a blog for a small, web-based floral service, you might opt for more titles like "3 Badass Birthday Bouquets" to grab a reader's attention. Think of a title that you'd like yourself. You're the best judge of your customer base and their needs.

Engage the Readers

You're trying to attract readers to your business. That means you want them to have a genuine interest in your services, some desire that grows organically from a customer's experience with your site. You do this by offering substantive content that informs the reader and makes them want to know more about how your business works. To run a successful business blog, you must start a dialog with your readers as if they were customers in a real store or during a live consultation. Be personable and engaging with your readers; you don't want your business's blog to read as a giant advertisement. Readers will usually interpret business blogs that appear to be selling something as a spammy website not worth their time.

You can also engage your readers by directly responding to comments and queries that they post on your blog. As you connect with your readers, you'll notice a jump in reader participation and the number of hits on your blog. And once you've earned the trust of your readers, it's only a matter of time until some of those readers turn to your businesses services and become customers.

Regarding "Outstanding Post Titles", should it be keyword focused as well? I sometimes get confused by this. :)

By Jeff Baker on February 03, 2012

Hi Jeff, thanks for your comment! Honestly, I too struggle with this. I always seem to be caught between trying to encourage the click and doing what's best for proper SEO.

I believe Kimberly is only speaking from an engagement perspective, and not long-term search engine value. My advice to you would be to try to accommodate for both as best as you can. However, when you're unable to do so, always opt for engagement. Reader engagement is what blogging is all about.